Clayton grocery hits a golden anniversary

CLAYTON -- What has sustained Clayton's Food Town grocery store for 50 years?

"'Serving the community' has been the motto since the store opened," said current co-owner Rick Blackmon. He and partner Harvey Wall bought the store in 1999 from one of the two original owners, Waylon Spence.

"Waylon and his brother Sam Spence opened the store in 1961," Blackmon said. The two established good customer relations by opening accounts for regular customers.

"Over the years we have done away with personal accounts, but we still have accounts with local businesses, schools and service organizations," Wall said. Sam Spence retired several years before Waylon Spence agreed to sell the store. Both men have since passed away.

Clayton Food Town was originally located on Main Street. Waylon and Sam Spence built the current building to offer patrons more room to park. Since buying Clayton Food Town Blackmon and Wall have computerized the inventory and remodeled several times.

"Waylon got out right before everything became computerized," Wall said. "I don't think he would have wanted to mess with all of that."

The partners have maintained many of the customer service features originally started by the Spence brothers. They have an on-site butcher who will cut meat to specific requests. They also continue to sack groceries and carry out bags for patrons.

When Waylon Spence decided the time had come to sell the business, he carefully hand selected the men he wanted to succeed him.

"I was a broker and had known Waylon for many years through work and through my church," Blackmon said. Wall had worked for Waylon Spence part time after graduating from high school.

Blackmon and Wall, however, did not know each other. "We happened to get paired up on a golf course one day," Wall said. "We were talking to one another about trying to buy a grocery store and pretty soon realized we were talking about the same one."

Discovering their mutual interest in the store, Blackmon and Wall approached Spence about partnering to buy Clayton Food Town.

"Waylon knew how hard it was to run the store on his own, and he was very interested in selling it to both of us," Blackmon said.

The partnership is still going strong after 12 years. "It was such a coincidence that we got paired up on the course that day - it was meant to be," Wall said.

Spence hoped Blackmon and Wall would maintain the habits, practices and style of business he had developed over the years to ensure continuity for his patrons. The new owners worked with Spence to learn his methods for two years before completely taking over the store.

"One of us is always here," Wall said. "We are the owners, managers, checkers, stockers, you name it."As Clayton has grown and attracted chain grocery stores, Clayton Food Town has had to find unique ways to draw in clientele.

"We want to make sure people get off Highway 70 in Clayton," Wall said.

In July of 2010 they began running a meat cooler sale each month. The deep discounts on protein bring in regular patrons from as far away as Benson to do their shopping.

The partners believe their customer service and meat department differentiate them from chain stores.

"The economy is hard right now, but we're holding our own," Wall said.

After 50 years in business Clayton Food Town has found the key to success.